Automatic switch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. E. NOLLEY. AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

No. 391,064. Patented Oct. 16, 1888.

l vi-tmowm UNITED STATES PATENT EEIcE.

RICHMOND E. NOLLEY, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391.064, dated October 16, 1888.

Application filed June 7, 1888. Serial No. 276.396.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHMOND E. NoLLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Automatic Switch; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters or figures of reference marked thereon,which form apart of this specification. v

The object of this invention is to produce an automatic switch that will operatein a way to set to the siding or mainline on which atrain may approach from one direction and that may be operated from the locomotive to cause the switch-rails to coincide with any of several tracks when theswitch is approached from the other direction, and to operate a semaphore to indicate the track with which the switch-rails are connected.

It consists of the several parts hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a main track and two sidings, the cams by which the gate-rails are moved, and the rockshafts by which the cams are operated. The lower part of the semaphore-shaft and its bracket are shown in section on line m 00, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a side View of Fig. 1 in section on the line y y, the rails A and G being removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a portion of the frame that carries the cam-shaft, and further shows the connection of that shaft with the semaphore. Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the cams that move the gate-rails, both being alike. Fig. 5 is a view of the right-hand end of the cam shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 shows one of the levers on a rockshaft and a portion of one of the depressionlevers and the loops by which it is held in position laterally and guided in its vertical movement. Fig. 7 shows a section through the roek-shaft G on the line 2, showing the upwardly-projecting arm N. One of these arms projects upwardly from each of the three rock-shafts, and all are connected together by rods, as shown in Fig. 1, the arm on the middle rock-shaft having sufficient width to permit the attachment of both connecting-rods.

(No model.)

Fig. 8 shows an end view of the track and a truck on it carrying an adjustable roller that will depress either of the levers over which the roller runs in approaching the switch from the right, as it is shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the figures like reference-marks indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

A A is the main track of a railway.

B B and O C are side-tracks. a and a are gate-rails. The rock-shaft G is journaled in any suitable way.

D, E, and F are depression-levers hinged to the rod 9, a depression -lever being placed contiguous to the side of one rail of each track and rests on one of the levers H, as is shown in Fig. 2. The rock-shaft is preferably journaled to the rail in any suitable manner.

The shaft J is journaled in a frame that also carries the semaphore. In this frame are the cross-pieces j, and on these cross-pieces are the projections 70, Figs. 1 and 3, against which the cams K abut. It will be observed by reference to Fig. 1 that as these cams are turned in either direction the distance between the points at which they will impinge against the projections It remains the same, and that the revolution of the cams in either direction will cause a longitudinal movement of the shaft equal to the inclination of the cams in the dis tance traversed by them. To the gate-rails a and a are attached the abutting pieces k, that impinge-on the cams and cause the rails to be moved in their position to the cams as much as the inclination of the inner surfaces of the cams, the gate-rails being moved a distance equal to the inclination of both sides of the cams. The shaft J has an upwardly-projecting arm like that shown in Fig. 7, except that it has two connectingrods attached to it, as shown in Fig. 1, the rod L connecting it with a similar arm on the rock-shaft G. The levers H, h, and h are set at different angles on the shaft G, so that when one of the depressionlevers is depressed, as shown in Fig. 2, the other depression-lever will be somewhat raised by the levers with which they are connected. For instance, in Fig. 2 the lever F is shown as depressed by the flange of the wheel running on the rail A, Fig. 1. The depression of the lever H raises the arm N, Fig. 7, to an upright or middle position, and the connecting-rod L brings the lever of the rockshaft J into the same position, and the cams K move the gaterails a and a from any position to one that will cause them to coincide with the main-track rails A and A. The longitudinal movement of the shaft J turns the crank M of the semaphore through the connection m and the swivel m. Itis obviousthatthe depressionofthelevers h or 71/ will turn these cams, through the medium of the shaft G and arms N and the connecting-rod L, and shift the gate-rails one way or the other, as the case may be. The proportion of all of these parts must be such as will cause the depression of one of the levers on the rock-shaft G to move the gate-rails just enough to coincide with the'track on which the wheel is running, which depresses by its flanges the depression-lever that causes the movement of the gate-rails.

The depression-lever belonging to the track with which thegate-rails coincide will always be down, consequently the flange of the wheel will pass over it; but when a train approaches on-one of the side tracks the flange of the first wheel running over the depression-lever belonging to that track will depress the lever, and through the mechanism already described shift the gate-rails to connect withitand turn the semaphore by its crank and connection with the shaft J and cause it to indicate the position of the gate-rails.

It will be best seen in Fig. 5 that the bosses on the inner ends of the cams K have several flat surfaces, f. Those surfaces are as many in number as are the tracks with which the gaterails connect, and the surfaces are so arranged as to rest flatly against the gate-rails'when those rails are connected with either of those tracks. The principal function of these flat surfaces, on which the rails rest, is to prevent by superincumbent weight the rolling of the rock-shaft J by any lateral pressure that may come against the gate-rails. An incidental function of these flat surfaces is to prevent the friction of the gaterails on the ties as they pass from one position to another, as they are slightly raised in transit.

The rock-shaft P, preferably journaled in some suitable way to the rails A and A, carrieslevers O, 0, and 0, Fig. 2, and is connected through the arm N and the rod R with the arm of the rock-shaft J. The depression-levers S, T, and U move the gate-rails to make them coincide with the main line or siding corresponding. to the lever in use in the same manner as the depression-levers D, E, and F have been above described as doing, eicept that either of the depressionlevers S, T, and U is depressed as required by the roller W on the shaft to, attached to the locomotive or tender. The roller Wslides lengthwise of the shaft w to a position to engage with either of the levers S T U. This roller may be moved from one position to another in any suitable manner, according to the position in which it is placed on the locomotive or tender, it being only desirable that it can be readily managed by the engineer. The gate-rails may beshifted by hand in many ways, one of which is to apply a removable lever in the form of a wrench to the flattened part j of the shaft J.

The levers D, E, F, S, T, and U have attached to their bottoms the loops N, Fig. 6, that go around the shafts and have sufficient length to allow the levers to rise to the required distance. One of these loops is on each side of each depression-lever and passes down both sides of each rock-shaft lever, thus preventing any undue lateral movement of the levers. v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters ,Patent of the United States, is

1. In an automatic switch, the gate-rails, the abutting pieces and 7c, and the cams K, arranged to operate simultaneously, for the purpose specified.

2. In an automatic switch, the rock-shaft J, the cams K, arranged to move the gate-rails a and a, and the flat surfaces f, on which the gate-rails rest, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

3. In an automatic switch, the gate-rails, the abutments 7c and k, the cams K, the shaft J, the crank of a semaphore, and the connecting-rod mand swivel m, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

4. In an automatic switch, a depression-lever placed contiguous to the side of one rail of each track and arranged to be depressed by the wheel passing over it, several levers at different angles on the rock-shaft G, the shaftsg and J, carrying arms N, connected by rod L, the cams K, the stationary abutments k, and the abutments 70, attached to the gate-rails.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RIOHMON D E. NOLLEY.

Witnesses:

A. I. WooD, A. A. \VOOD. 

